Oliver Franks, Baron Franks
The Lord Franks | |
|---|---|
Franks in 1990, by Norman Hepple | |
| British Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 1948–1952 | |
| Monarchs | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | The Lord Inverchapel |
| Succeeded by | Roger Makins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Oliver Shewell Franks 16 February 1905 Selly Oak, Birmingham, England |
| Died | 15 October 1992 (aged 87) Oxford, England |
| Spouse | Barbara Franks |
| Education | The Queen's College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Civil servant and philosopher |
Oliver Shewell Franks, Baron Franks, OM, GCMG, KCB, CBE, PC, DL (16 February 1905 – 15 October 1992), was an English civil servant and philosopher who has been described as 'one of the founders of the postwar world'.
Franks was involved in Britain's recovery after the Second World War. Knighted in 1946, he was the British Ambassador to the United States of America from 1948 to 1952, during which time he strengthened the relationship between the two countries. He was awarded a life peerage on 10 May 1962, the year in which he became Provost of Worcester College, Oxford.
Lord Franks was often called upon by the government of the day to chair important inquiries, and he is best known for his report in the aftermath of the Falklands War which ultimately exonerated the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government from charges of having failed to heed warning signals of an Argentine invasion.